Fresh Meat: Series 1 (2011)

basics...
A British comedy-drama (with emphasis on the former) about a student house-share, featuring Jack Whitehall (JP), Joe Thomas (Kingsley), Zawe Ashton (Vod), Greg McHugh (Howard), Kimberley Nixon (Josie), Charlotte Ritchie (Oregon), and Robert Webb.

brilliant...
Fresh Meat's success is down to the pitch perfect simulation of the first-time student dilemmas and relationships, coupled with some memorable characters brought to life by a talented cast. Whitehall's JP quickly emerged as the one to watch. His stand up comedy I can take or leave so I really think he found his niche here, playing the posh boy who so desperately wants to be cool. As with nearly all the characters, he's putting on a front, and only occasionally does he let his guard down - the same is true of Josie, who doesn't want to have a Welsh boyfriend and cosy life while she's at uni, she wants to rebel. Oregon is quite clearly posher and richer than she makes out, appearing even more desperate to be cool, although having a relationship with her tutor doesn't work in the eyes of her role model, Vod. Ashton is unrecognisable from her turn as the secretary in Case Histories here, the marvellous creation of Vod who spouts expletive laden home truths and tries to maintain a veneer of being every so slightly crazy. McHugh's Howard is a sweet geek who wants to be a part of the other students' lives and his intentions are always honourable. I was worried that Joe Thomas' character may become just the continuing adventures of The Inbetweeners' Simon, but he's subtly different. He's still a bit of a lovable loser who just can't seem to get with the girl he desires, but Kingsley is more intelligent, more together, although not that much. I really want to spend more time with these people, to watch their relationships develop, and to just have a bloody good laugh at their antics while reminiscing about my own student days, eating Pot Noodles and projecting a together persona whilst secretly being terrified of adult life.

but...
Some episodes were funnier than others it's true. However, the drama worked, especially in small moments where you think the whole thing could be a car crash, such as JP being high on acid on the way to comfort his recently widowed mother, or Oregon's similar distress over her horse.

briefly...
Authentic, nostalgic fun, with a first rate cast of adorable misfits.